Best of Cabernet

Ask a Coonawarra cabernet tragic where the best cab terroir in the world is. They'll answer immediately, without blinking. And honestly, wines like this make it very hard to disagree. Seven years of bottle age have done exactly what good Coonawarra Cab does with time - the fruit has deepened and settled, the tannins have refined, and everything has come together into something genuinely compelling. That narrow ribbon of terra rossa soil in South Australia's deep south has been producing world-class cabernet for decades, and the 2017 vintage is one of the region's better recent efforts. Dark berry fruit, a classic choc-mint character that's become something of a regional signature, blackcurrant, violet and spice on the nose, and a textured, savoury palate with fine tannins and a long, persistent finish. Structured and complex without being the least bit intimidating. This is Coonawarra doing what Coonawarra does best. Drink it now with something from the grill or put it away for another five years. Either way, you're winning.

There’s something unmistakably Coonawarra about this Cabernet (and it's not just the name 'Brand' stamped all over the label – red earth, a cool lift of mint, and that plush core of blackcurrant fruit. It’s a wine with both boots-on-the-ground authenticity and its own form of gutsy finesse. Red earth caked under fingernails. Akubra tilted just right. This is the real deal. From Coonawarra's 'mid-west' comes a cabernet with down-to-earth character that slowly but surely ruins all other Coonawarra cabs. Weighty but vibrant, brimming with cherry, blackcurrant, after-dinner mint and that unmistakable chocolate ripple biscuit richness. Ripe berry fruit lifted by juicy acidity, framed in fine tannins that tighten beautifully at the finish. Cool, lingering freshness woven with blackcurrant pastille and powdered chocolate - this is textbook contemporary Coonawarra.
Plush, powerful, persistent. Dense blackberry pastilles and mulberry with tobacco, mocha, fennel and clove complexity. Dusty tannins coat the palate from coast to coast, while judicious oak hints at where bottle age will take this beauty - give it a good decant and you'll be well-rewarded... leave it a few years and you'll be in heaven.

2022 was an outstanding vintage in Margaret River - a cold, wet winter followed by a warm, generous summer produced fruit of exceptional concentration and quality. And in Xanadu's hands, that fruit has become something genuinely outstanding. Blackcurrant, mulberry and dark fruit at the core, with cedary oak and a firm, fine-grained tannin structure that gives it both immediate appeal and real cellaring potential. Powerful and energetic, but with an elegance and focus that stops it from ever feeling heavy-handed. Drink it now with something from the grill or put it away for a few years and watch it develop. Either way, for Margaret River Cabernet at this level, the price is an absolute gift.